The material in this series comes from the General Welfare Division of the General Board of Church and Society. The series contains administrative records, newsletters and scrapbooks from the Geneal Board of Temperance, the predecessor to the General Welfare Division. There are also records pertaining to the Department of of Alcohol Problems and Drug Abuse, the Depart of Population Problems, and the Department of Law, Justice and Community Relations. Each of these departments had wide-ranging portfolios and were active in a variety of issues. Some of the issues relate to United Methodism's historic stance on drug and alcohol abuse, as well as issues surrounding population and hunger in the 1970s and the division's involvement in Kent State slayings legal defense, Wounded Knee and other societal issues of the 1960s and 1970s.

This series contains general administrative records of the division. Also included are committee records and records from various departments and special programs. This would include the programs on economic and racial issues, religion and race (which later became its own agency), church and government issues, and urban concerns. Also included are the records of the Law of the Sea Project (shared with Global Ministries), the Committee for Congressional Reform and records related to specific programs conducted by the Division in Washington, D. C.

This collection contains the records of the various departments in the reorganized structure of the Board of Church and Society. Departments in this new division focus on human issues and the church's response to those issues. This includes many of the previous departments spread between the former divisions. This includes such programs as the drug initiative, social and economic justice; human rights; and peace and world order.

This series contains the records of the Commission on World Peace, predecessor agency to this division. The material contains general administrative and correspondence files; records of conferences and workshops conducted by the staff; special projects of the Division and conscientious objector files. Also included are the relating to the various seminars conducted by the Division and the Board of Church and Society at the United Nations.

This collection contains the papers of Charles A. Merrill. Included are five diaries dated 1856-1860. These contains short entries about daily life. There are also six pastor's record books dated 1861-1896. The years 1874- 1877 and 1881-1885 are missing. Scriptures used for sermons, financial notations, and membership information are listed in these books.

Additional information in this collection includes two letters. One is dated October 1895 and is from Henry C. Doughty, a nephew of Merrill's. The other letter is undated and impartial. There is a folder of biographical information on Merrill, mostly relating to his death. There are two church related items. One is a list of stewards in the Methodist Episcopal Church of Millville, Massachusetts. The other is a subscription list for the Rockport Church. Finally, a color map of Springfield, Massachusetts is included.

Sauer's correspondence, and the manuscript and supporting documents for his unpublished "Methodists in Korea," make up the bulk of the collection. These materials document Methodist Episcopal mission work during Sauer's tenure in Korea, including the evacuation of missionary personnel in 1940, and their return in 1945. This was a critical transition phase for the Korean Methodist Church (KMC) as they struggled for power and control during the heightened Japanese control over churches in Korea, and then rebuilt after the war. There is also considerable material covering state of missions and the KMC during the invasion of South Korea in 1950. Photographs and publications nicely supplement this part of the collection.

Record types include: diaries, letterbooks, oversized photographs, a book, a map, and three scrapbooks. The diaries (1895-1906) describe his trip to Africa with considerable detail about the work there. Included within these diaries are the records of African members. The 1902 letterbook contains letters concerning the Daniel F. Wilberforce cannibalism charge. There are three oversized photographs, a book written by Flickinger titled History of the Flickinger Family and a map in german of the Berlin area. Clippings comprise the bulk of the 1901 scrapbook. These clippings helped form the basis of his book, Fifty-five Years of Active Ministerial Life which is located in the library department. The other two scrapbooks are mainly comprised of clippings as well. The 1882-1895 scrapbook also contains lectures on Africa. The third scrapbook is a history of the United Brethren Church.

The collection contains materials related to the missionary activities of the Herman and Ethel Anderson. This includes a manuscript written by Herman C. Anderson entitled "The Good in the Chinese." In addition, there are fifteen black and white photographs, a map of British origin of the missionary stations of the China Inland Mission, and two small books on the Chinese alphabet. There are also several textiles and artifacts reflective of Chinese life. This includes: six salt dishes with three lids and five spoons; a coin; a desk set (stamp, inkwell with lid, letter opener, a pen, and a tray); a statue; two fans (one ivory and one silk); one pillow case; one set of chop sticks (metal and wood); a woman's silk blouse; three purses; one wallet; one runner; and two wall hangings.

This series holds the minutes of the various boards and divisions. Included are the minutes of the board meetings along with committee reports and also the various levels of staff minutes of the agency. The second major section deals with the administrative functions of the board and primarially deals with the various general secretaries's files.

This collection includes dossiers, correspondence, letters, records of annual conferences and agencies, subject files, manuscripts, articles, personal and family papers, photographs, negatives, clippings, and other printed matter. Bishop Springer's papers primarily document the interaction of American social and ecclesiastical structures forged at the edge of the American frontier with a region of the African continent which was undergoing the process of civilization. Reflected also among these materials is the impact which such interaction had upon Americans who went to spend their lives in the African mission fields, as well as the impact upon Africans themselves. See the published guide, "Preliminary Inventory of the Papers of Bishop John McKendree Springer" (issued by the General Commission on Archives and History, 1982) for individual series descriptions.